novelraw Chapter 56: Result
Chapter 56: Result
Jensen, Talia, Roden, and Jim watched the camp from a ridge above.
Hours had passed since they placed the sedatives in the water and the effects would be kicking in soon.
Talia fidgeted as she waited, she went through the plan over and over again trying to make sure there was no issue.
The plan was simple.
She would kill every sleeping person... everyone except babies and very young children.
Her father would go after the ones still awake while her brother would try to injure and delay the Level 3 as long as possible because he was the only one among them with real combat training.
She just hoped the mixture of poisons would weaken them enough to make it easy for them but for now they waited in silence waiting for the perfect time to attack.
***
Heinz drank his wine as he went through the information on a trade caravan coming through his area.
He had received a tip from one of his spies in Brann Town that shipment of mortal agricultural produce was coming to Oakland.
*Uuhnn*
He covered his mouth as he yawned but he kept reading. He was trying to determine which mercenaries they would be facing and if it was worth it.
He was also trying to determine the possible routes as he glanced up at the map on his table, then back down at the data-pad.
’I should send out scouts to determine the mercenary group, before deciding.’ Heinz thought
*Uuhnnn*
’Damn,’ he thought. ’Why am I so drowsy today? Am I already tipsy? I did not drink that much, and this is just a Grade 1 wine.’
He considered going to bed to bed early but soon decided against it. He still needed to determine the most likely path before sending out scouts.
While the spy had given him the information on the trade caravan, he still had to find out most of the information himself.
’If they are taking this route... we can easily set up and ambush, but they would be expecting that... so a..."
*Thud* *Thud*
He looked up, the sound was unusual and sounded like someone falling, he wanted to call out to his guards but decided against it.
He didn’t want to alert whoever was there that he was already on guard.
His hands moved to his staff that always rested beside him as he rose to his feet and cautiously made his way to the tent flap.
He waited a listened for a few seconds before he pushed open the tent flap.
His eyes fell on his guards, and he saw that they were collapsed on the ground, face down with their limbs sprawled.
’Poison?’ Heinz wondered as he saw no sign of blood, or any physical injury.
He glanced around trying to figure out where the attack had come from but he yawned again.
*Uuhnn*
Then he heard the snoring from the guards and his eyes widened as the issue clicked into place.
’Sedative,’ he realized. ’Are they trying to usurp me?’ He wondered as he stared at the guards on the ground and then looked around again.
Typical usurpations were violent but often done as bloodlessly as possible. Too many dead people meant a loss of power no matter how it is framed.
There would be fewer fighters, fewer targetable victims to loot meaning even less income not to mention the other lawless groups trying to take what you have.
So, by tomorrow, his loyal men would be found bound and forced to choose between death or loyalty to the new leader.
He knew just how that would go... after all he had gotten to power in a similar way.
And there was no true loyalty among bandits... they followed whoever gave them the highest benefits... nothing else... especially not someone dead.
’Who could it be?... Tok?... No... No... Not him... Dama...’ His mind worked at full speed as he kicked the men on the ground trying to wake them, but nothing seemed to work.
’To knock out Peak Level 1 men like this and affect me like this... a Grade 2 sedatives?’ Heinz wondered. ’When did they get those?’
He took a breath as he gave up waking them up, ’I better remove this poison from my system.’
He tried to move the mana in his body to disperse the effect of the pills but failed miserably.
’Mana-disrupting pills as well,’ he realized. ’Shit... When did they get the money for all this?’
He gave up trying to force out the sedative in his body as he scanned the camp, trying to find where the attack would come from.
He considered using the healing pills he had with him but soon gave up. Healing pills were designed to heal physical injuries not sleeping medicine.
The same reason Anti-Toxin pills wouldn’t work.
Although he had awakened to the Elemental Path, his body was still as strong as a Level 2 Body Path in the Balanced Branch so the effect would fade with time.
Then he frowned something else was wrong, there was no band of men coming toward him.
He glanced at the tents of the three men he suspected would carry out such an action and listened.
He heard snoring coming from two of the three tents.
’They are not in on the plan,’ he thought. ’Good... that works for me too.’
He filled his lungs and shouted as loud as possible. "ENEMY ATTACK!"
The shout boomed across the camp hoping to wake as many people as possible up.
If two of his lieutenants were also under the effects, it meant they were not part of the plans.
They would automatically guess that they would be removed along with him so they would have no choice but to fight.
But when all three men stumbled out of their tents unsteady with bleary eyes and confusion Heinz knew then that there was truly an enemy attack.
Every Level 2 managed to get up although most were stumbling and swaying unsteadily.
The same could not be said about the rest, most were still asleep and those who were not asleep could barely move.
Heinz looked at the 8 Level 2s around him and his jaws tightened.
It was over for them if the attackers had similar strength.
’It is most likely that Posey bastard,’ Heinz thought. ’I knew it... I knew something was off when the scouts I sent these past few days never returned.’
He lifted his chin and shouted into the darkness.
"Posey! Come out here and fight this instant! Your evil plans will not work!"
But only silence answered him.
He waited for a few seconds but still nothing.
That was good for him, he just had to buy enough time for the effects of the poison to wear off... then he would run.
Yes... he was going to abandon everyone.
He had no plans to stay back and fight because he knew there was no way he would win against Posey and his bandits.
He also knew that if Posey decided to attack him now, it meant he had already planned everything and was very assured of his victory.
And last he heard, Posey had eleven Level 2s while he only had only eight.
The only reason their strengths were equal was because Heinz had more Level 1s but now that advantage was gone with most of them were fast asleep.
"What are you waiting for?" he shouted again. "Come now!"
He really wanted to know where the bulk of Posey’s forces were, so he didn’t get encircled when he ran.
Still nothing.
He was about to throw caution to the wind when he saw three people charging at him.
Two men and a woman.
The woman moved toward the closest tents near the camp entrance while the two men charged straight at him.
’Wait,’ Heinz thought. ’It is not Posey?’